Harry Potter and the Tree of Life
by noddwyd
Summary: It's a rough summer, and Dumbledore pays a visit to Harry, helping him unlock his real destiny along with Hermione in a journey that's difficult to believe, even by wizarding standards.
1. It's always raining

  
Disclaimer: sorry, don't own HP. JKR does. Good luck to her with that, and also her new   
child.   
:)   
  
AN:Alright, I don't know where this is going, or where it comes from, but I hope that my muses   
can still bring forth the essense of the characters, even if you do have to put up with my   
writing style. Things might seem a bit overboard at times, but honestly I don't think it really   
is, and the duel with Voldemort and Dumbledore was only a taste of what either of them can   
really do. Harry's presence held them both back, though in Voldemort's case unwillingly.   
  
===============================   
  
Sitting at a window, staring out on the starless sky from his small space of confinement within   
the home of Vernon Dursley, was a boy of fifteen, soon to be sixteen in a matter of weeks. He   
was scanning the skies for an owl which he knew should be returning to him soon, as he sent his   
three day note to the order to let them know that he was okay. The truth was though, he was far   
from okay. He couldn't escape it. the guilt. Even after he had seen them all there on his   
side at the train station, and Dumbledore had told him everything, he still felt responsible for   
the death of his godfather. He had died to save this boy, just as the boy's parent's had died,   
and just as he knew his friends would do that same thing if he continued to act the fool as he   
had all last year. He had sent an apology to Hermione. She had been right. There never was a   
reply to that letter though. It worried him. It wasn't like her to ignore him like that. He   
guessed she just wasn't going to forgive him just yet. This hurt him more than he thought   
possible. And all he really knew was that, it wasn't ever going to happen again.   
He had been reading all his school books over ever since he returned home in order to   
preoccupy himself. He wanted to become stronger as soon as possible so he could have a hope of   
defeating Voldemort and ending this war. In his last letter, he had expressly sent a note to   
Professor Dumbledore to ask about what he should do in that regard, or what he would be allowed   
to do, and was now eagerly awaiting reply from the old man. He felt so much time had already   
been wasted while sitting here in his Aunt's home for over a month and a half, while Voldemort   
plotted away on the outside world, and the dementors were probably kissing whoever they wanted.   
Harry shuddered at that thought, and for a moment felt as if he would be sick. No, he resolved,   
he would have to overcome any fear of them he had. He could summon a patronus, right?   
'Actually though', he thought, 'at the moment I probably could not summon a stag from my   
wand.' This thought brought forth a feeling of failure, and revulsion at himself. He had   
simply not been the same person since Sirius had died. He couldn't feel happy anymore, and more   
and more often, he found that it was so much easier to just not care at all, and not to focus on   
emotion. But the loss of his patronus he did not take well, and he suddenly felt very   
exhausted, as the weight in his stomach and chest seemed to increase. Slowly, as the feeling   
of despair and helplessness set in, the boy finally relented, and, pulling his knees up to his   
chest, started to cry. Soon he was drifting off into sleep. The window was still open, and he   
was hounded by nightmares, the cold air, like that of a dementor, seeping slowly into his blood.   
----   
  
He awoke from the cold a few short hours later, feeling perhaps more exhausted than before, and   
now very stiff and sore on top of that, because of the cold. He did notice, in the still dark   
room, that Hedwig had returned now, and there was a letter waiting for him. He sat up and used   
his numbed hands to close the window. then fumbled with the letter a bit, dropping it once as   
he could not seem to grasp it with his right hand. He reached down with the other hand and   
snatched it off the floor, trying to use his dead hand to hold it open so he could read it while   
rubbing some life back into it with his other hand.   
  
_Dear Harry,   
  
I hope you are having less trouble from your family than usual this summer. I also   
hope one day you will forgive me for making you stay there, but I want you to know, that if   
there were any better way of keeping you safe I would allow you to leave in a heartbeat. I   
understand your need to do something, and I will be sending Alastor, Remus, and Nymphadora   
to take you elsewhere soon, where you can get some things done. But I must warn you Harry,   
before I can start you on the path to mastering your abilities, there is one obstacle in our   
way. And that is your connection to Voldemort. You will have to learn occlumency, or I   
fear you will always be plagued through your linked minds. I will begin teaching you myself   
as soon as possible, of course. There are also many other things we must discuss, but that   
will have to wait, I'm afraid. I shall see you soon Harry.   
  
Sincerely,   
  
Albus Dumbledore_   
  
Harry groaned. He would have to wait until he could leave the Dursleys' it seemed, yet again,   
before he got any real answers to the questions he had posed in his letter. And probably until   
after he had mastered Occlumency as well at this point. He remembered his lessons with Snape,   
and groaned again. Occlumency seemed to be one thing he couldn't do, although admittedly he had   
been very preoccupied for his previous lessons. He tossed the letter aside, and, this time   
wrapping the blankets around him, and resolving to do better from now on for the sake of his   
remaining friends, went back to sleep.   
  
-------   
  
Harry awoke to the usual sound of his aunt knocking at the door and sliding his food for the day   
under the flap that they had installed in his second year. Apparantly their idea of treating   
Harry better was to avoid him at all costs and encourage him to remain in his room, though they   
said almost nothing to him if he left it, and pretended he didn't exist. He, quite honestly,   
found this to be an improvement, and didn't really care how they felt about him anymore.   
  
He sat up, rubbing his eyes, and putting on his glasses as he tried to forget his nightmares,   
and then he noticed that a large great horned owl was sitting on Hedwig's perch, and she was   
looking over at him with mingled awe and fear, probably because of his shear size, and the old,   
wizened look in its eyes. He approached the large owl cautiously, looking for some kind of a   
note or letter he might be carrying, but the owl seemed to realize this and it cawed at him,   
it's eyes were twinkling now and it seemed to be...chuckling at him?   
  
The sight was a bit unnerving, and he stared up into the owl's eyes again, and suddenly realized   
that the twinkle he found there was quite familiar.   
"Professor? Is that you?"   
  
The bird nodded ever so slightly, his face becoming serious, and a bit angry as he nodded   
towards Harry's meal on the floor, which was shoved under the door only a minutes before. Harry   
noticed where he had looked, and sighed   
  
"I really don't care about that, professor, it's typical for them. They just want to avoid   
contact with me, and quite honestly, the feeling is mutual. Still,"   
  
he said picking up the cold breakfast food before him, some of which actually looked like it had   
been bitten into before being placed on the plate,   
  
"It does leave something to be desired at times," he said absently, "and it certainly is never   
as good as a meal cooked by the elves."   
  
He grabbed a sausage that was not bitten off of and shoved it in his mouth, sitting back onto   
his bed. The owl suddenly looked very old and weary, as well as sad, and he hopped off the   
perch onto the floor, where he suddenly grew about five feet and became the headmaster of   
Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, who looked equally sad as he watched Harry eat the food. He sighed.   
Harry finished eating what little there was on the plate that was edible, and stared up at the   
headmaster, both eager for answers to his questions, and dreading his response to what he had   
just seen. He had never wanted the headmaster to see him like this, at his weakest, locked up   
in his room at the Dursley's.   
  
"Harry, I am sorry for making you stay here, but you know we could have done something about   
that if you had mentioned it in any of your letters. That was the reason your friends wanted   
you to write to them. So that those of us who are of age could do everything possible to make   
your stay here more comfortable."   
  
Harry just stared up at him, his eyes widening a bit, and he asked skeptically,   
  
"What could you have done? Threatening them the way Moody did would solve nothing, really. You   
can't change the fact that they hate me without altering their memories, and even then I doubt   
it would work."   
  
But the old man was shaking his head even as Harry said this.   
  
"No, Harry, I would not have done anything to your family, that would be pointless, as you just   
said yourself. I would have given you the means to remain here comfortably."   
  
"For instance," he snapped his fingers, "Dobby?" he said, and a half second later Dobby the   
house elf popped into existance next to Dumbledore.   
  
"Yes sir, Professor Dumbledore, sir? What can Dobby do for you?"   
  
"I need to ask you to provide food for Harry here while he stays in this house."   
  
"Yes sir, Professor Dumbledore, sir! Dobby is happy to serve Harry Potter!"   
  
And with that Dobby popped out again.   
  
Dumbledore turned to Harry, "if there is anything you would like just tell him. The elves are   
not bound by my apparition wards on the castle, so he can reach me at any time. If you need him   
just call his name as I just did. He can hear it."   
  
But Harry was suddenly very worried about something.   
  
"Sir, you do remember that Dobby's magic has been blamed on me in the past. Won't I get   
expelled if he is doing magic around here? And what about you just now transforming like that?   
I didn't know you could, by the way. Hermione never mentioned you when she was talking about   
all the registered animagi in this century."   
  
"Don't worry about that Harry, I have convinced Mr. Hopkirk to change his policies on detecting   
underage magic in your somewhat special case. He now has his detection spells focus on your   
wand's signiture, so as to determine whether or not it is you using the magic. And you needn't   
worry about my transformation either, as it is wandless. I will explain about why I am not   
listed as an animagi later."   
  
Harry looked relieved at this, and smiled slightly, but then suddenly thought of someting.   
  
"But sir, what about wandless magic?"   
  
Dumbledore smiled, his eyes twinkling mischeivously. "Well, Harry, that is a good question," he   
chuckled lightly, "I suppose he would think that it was Dobby's magic if you were to   
'accidentally' do something. Actually, I have been meaning to talk with you, Harry, about your   
abilities."   
  
He walked over to Harry's bed, conjured up a chair and asked "do you mind if I sit down, Harry?   
This may take a while."   
  
Harry nodded to him, and he plopped down into the cushioned chair, making himself comfortable.   
Dumbledore sighed heavily, and looked as if he was both dreading this conversation, and also   
eager to begin it.   
  
"Harry," he started, "Do you, perhaps, recall any magic that you did accidentally when you were   
younger, before you knew about your abilities?"   
  
Harry's eyebrows raised at this. He had not been expecting the headmaster to ask him about   
that, of all things. Some of the memories of his accidental magic as a child were a bit   
shameful to him. Being chased by Dudley's gang, and his aunt cutting his hair, and trying to   
force him into Dudley's old clothes that he hated. Setting that boa on his cousin accidentally.   
His expression darkened as he went over these memories in his mind, preparing to relate them to   
Dumbledore.   
  
"Well, sir. Yes, I do remember a few things that stand out in my mind now as magical. The   
first of which being...well, you see, my hair..."   
  
Harry stopped for a minute, not sure how to explain this himself,   
  
"it has always seemed to have a mind of it's own, you see. And I know that I must have had more   
haircuts than the rest of my class at my old school combined, but it never did any good, the   
hair would just grow back almost instantly. And there was one time when it was particularly   
severe, and my aunt had practically shaved my head except for one place which she claimed she   
left to 'hide that horrid scar'. I didn't like it, and fell asleep that night worrying about   
how the kids at school would surely make fun of me for this new haircut, but when I woke up, it   
was back to normal. I remember they locked me in the cupboard for a week as punishment. Which   
I didn't even understand why at the time. And really, I still don't get it. Why is my hair so   
uncontrollable, and how did I grow it back like that?"   
  
Dumbledore was smiling slightly broadly, the twinkle returned to his eyes again.   
  
"Well Harry, you see, the thing is, sometimes a prospective student who is brought our attention   
at Hogwarts has abilities which, if not either closely supervised or simply locked away until a   
more managable time, then they could cause a lot of trouble with the secrecy policy the   
wizarding world keeps. I'm sure you would understand this?"   
  
Harry nodded, but then frowned, realizing what that must mean. Dumbledore had been keeping some   
of Harry's abilities away from him. He wondered what they could be that they would have to be   
taken away.   
  
Dumbledore continued on.   
  
"Well, you see, the last child which had to have some of their more extravagant powers locked   
away, in order to keep him from accidentally using them around muggles, and also to protect   
their classmates, was one Tom Marvolo Riddle. He was quite angry when he discovered what   
Headmaster Dippet had done to him, and demanded they return his full abilities to him at once.   
He was most upset when the Headmaster refused, and in the next year, of course, the basilisk   
began attacking the school. Eventually he was able to regain his powers anyway, though." he   
sighed.   
  
"Do you know why I am telling you this Harry?"   
  
Harry nodded.   
  
"I think so. You have been keeping some of my abilities locked away from me? Are these other   
things which I gained when he tried to kill me? What kinds of powers would you need to keep   
away from us, anyway, when you're trying to teach us about magic?"   
  
"Well, Harry, yes, I have been keeping some of your abilities locked away, although I tried to   
do this as little as possible, but it still could not be avoided in all cases. As you know, you   
can still converse with snakes and I hope you will not place bias on that ability of yours just   
because it is a Slytherin trait. It is a very useful skill, and I know that Voldemort has many   
spies that he could not have without that ability."   
  
Harry thought about this, and realized that Voldemort could have an entire network of snakes   
watching things at all times. He looked up at Dumbledore.   
  
"There are anti-snake wards around Hogwarts, of course." he said, understanding Harry's unease,   
"I have to give express permission for one to be allowed onto the grounds, or to leave them.   
Snakes which are already there, however..."   
  
Harry nodded, remembering the basilisk. He didn't look up again, so Dumbledore continued on.   
  
"Well, as to your other question, and also about your hair, I shall can tell you that, it is   
because Voldemort, and subsequently yourself, apparantly, both have polymorph abilities."   
  
At Harry's look of confusion, he added   
  
"This means that you can change your appearance to virtually, well, anything, with enough   
practice. In case you haven't guessed, this is how I transformed into an owl before. It is an   
excellent disguise, I think, to be arriving here under the guise of delivering your mail. Tom,   
however, has apparantly never had much use for this ability, although I know he changes himself   
to look more snakelike, as you must have seen with your own eyes, on more than one occasion, and   
to change into a few different animals, a basilisk being one of them-"   
  
Harry, whose jaw had been hanging open, blanched at this new peice of information.   
  
"but at least he has not been able to master changing himself into other people, he must still   
use potions for that. Besides, he is a horrible actor, if I do say so myself. He tried to fool   
me once, but as I have told you I am a skilled legilimens, and so it didn't really work that   
well. Plus he can't seem to get his voice to change correctly"   
  
Harry laughed.   
  
"You're right, he wouldn't be any good at that. But..sir, are you going to allow me access to   
this ability, now that I know about it? I do need every advantage I can get, you know, and I-"   
  
Dumbledore held up a hand to stop him.   
  
"Yes, Harry, I will unlock your abilities as soon as I explain what each of them do, although as   
I said before, some of them will have to wait until you have mastered occlumency, or if not,   
then at least have some way of keeping Voldemort out of your mind, which I am currently doing   
research on. Now, you should know that there is one ability which I took from you, although it   
very much pained me to do so, that did not come from Mr. Riddle at all. It comes from your   
mother."   
  
Harry froze at this news. There was something his mother left him? He was suddenly bombarded   
with the only clear memory of her that he had, screaming for Voldemort to not kill him.   
  
"I will return this power to you now, along with the polymorphmagus ability, after I've   
explained it fully. This ability, as far as I know, has yet to be named formally, as your   
mother seemed to be the only known person capable of it save perhaps the ancient wizard of which   
our records are sketchy at best. She kept it a secret, and only a few people know about it even   
today. It is linked to the ancient magic which she used to protect you when you were a baby,   
You have natural healing powers, Harry. You could, without even a wand in your hands, heal someone   
with life threatening wounds, even most spell damage can be reversed. I believe your powers in   
this regard may prove to be even greater than your mother's, and now you have additional   
strength in you to help,which you gained when Voldemort tried to kill you."   
  
he paused, noticing the sad look on Harry's face.   
  
"This ability will not allow you to heal yourself, however, although you will recover quickly   
from any injuries you sustain. That effect is also brought on by your polymorph abilities.   
Your mother told me once that this power also brought on the ability of empathy, or that it was   
a large part of this ability. I'm not entirely sure what that would mean, but I would prepare   
for somewhat of a shock when I do this, Harry. Would you like for me to call one of your   
friends here for support? Someone you trust with this knowledge? It will be a little   
overwhelming at first, I think."   
  
Harry thought for a moment. Ron and Hermione?...No. I couldn't let Ron see me as I am now, I   
must look horrible with the way Dumbledore keeps looking at me. And Hermione...Hermione   
wouldn't want to. She probably doesn't want to be friends anymore after the way I've treated   
her.   
  
He tried imagining spending his next school years without Hermione. He found that he couldn't,   
and the harder he tried, the more the tears threatened to overwhelm him. So who, exactly, did   
he have?   
  
_No one._ said a voice in the back of his mind. _You have nothing. You will never   
be able to live as long as he survives._   
  
He looked up at the old man, sadly. "I...I can't really think of anyone." he just managed to   
get out without choking on it.   
  
Dumbledore looked disheartened by this, but he seemed to collect himself and said "Very well   
then, Harry. I shall return to you the polymorph abilities, and then your empathic healing   
powers, since the latter may take longer to adjust to, although the first may hurt a bit, too."   
  
He removed a vial from within his robes.   
  
"Here. You must drink this. It should take affect after a few seconds."   
  
Harry took the vial, removed the stopper, and drank the contents. It tasted like a simple water   
at first, but then the taste began changing rapidly, and his taste buds were quickly   
overwhelmed. Then the liquid hit his stomach, and he could feel it creeping over his entire   
body slowly. He looked at his hands and legs in front of him, which had begun changing rapidly   
into different shapes. At first it was very painful, and all his muscles seemed to seize up,   
leaving him temporarily paralyzed. Then, slowly, the pain lessened, and the transformations   
slowed down, finally coming to rest, leaving Harry at least looking normal. He felt quite   
different however. It was as if he was feeling his physical body for the first time. He could   
literally feel every cell in his body, and he knew, instantly, that every one of them was under   
his complete control. He could command them to transform his body into whatever he needed.   
Hell, he could sprout a tree out of his head if he wanted. He immediately tried to remove the   
scar from his head, and encountered a considerable amount of pain.   
  
He hissed, and brought his hand up to his forehead.   
  
"Ah yes, Harry, I thought that might happen. I should have warned you that probably would not   
work. I'm afraid that, whatever form you take, you will not be able to rid yourself of that scar   
until Voldemort is destroyed. After that, however, it should begin to fade. I should also   
advise that you not attempt anything too complicated just yet. I will of course help you with   
this, and when I cannot I will have Tonks do it in her spare time. I'm sure she would love to   
have someone that she can play with."   
  
He chuckled at this last comment, and Harry looked a bit scared.   
  
"Well, you could at least do something about your hair now. Unless of course you do not wish   
to?"   
  
Harry instantly remembered his father intentionally making his hair look like his did now, just   
to try and impress random girls. He changed it so that it would lie flat, and observed the   
results in the mirror in his wardrobe. He looked...odd. and it made him feel uncomfortable,   
too. Reluctantly, he groaned and reverted to the hairstyle he was used to wearing.   
  
Dumbledore chuckled a bit. "You know Harry, actually I've always felt that look suited you   
anyway."   
  
The room became silent again, and Dumbledore's face lost it's previous amused appearance.   
  
"Well, Harry, before we do this, are you sure you do not wish to have someone else besides   
myself here with you? I'm sure I could get Ms. Granger to come here in a heartbeat. She has   
been pelting me with owls ever since end of term, questioning about your wellbeing and when we   
were going to remove you from this place. She also says she has been trying to call you on the   
telephone. But now that I see how you were being fed, I take it you have not left your room in   
order to take any calls. She apparantly was right when she said you were probably lying in your   
letters about being treated well."   
  
He guestured towards Harry's now almost empty plate of food.   
  
Harry perked up at this news. She had been trying to call him? Did that mean that maybe she   
still wanted to be friends after all? A great wave of relief spread over Harry. Suddenly   
things began to look better. Wait. Why hadn't the Dursleys told him she had been trying to   
call? He suddenly felt his anger surfacing. He got up and walked towards the door in a cold   
rage, but was blocked by Dumbledore.   
  
"Harry? What is it? Am I to assume that you did not receive these calls because your relatives   
kept the fact that you had been getting calls from you?"   
  
Harry nodded, and said "Yes, now can you please let me out of here so I can go and discuss with   
them the reasons why they should not have done this to my best friend? They probably hung up on   
her or even cursed at her for calling their house!"   
==============   
  
hmm...that seemed as good a place as any to stop. I guess I'll continue when I get the chance.   
I am quite busy at the moment. I think Harry will completely ignore Vernon in the next scenes,   
and try to converse only with his Aunt. Then he'll scare the crap out of them by transforming   
into a miniature horntail. But the transformation won't work well enough for him to function   
very much physically, and he'll not be able to breath fire at all. You of course need to study   
the animal you want to transform into before it will work properly. Now, in this story, I will   
not be saying who will end up with whom. You'll just have to wait and see. I stuck it in a   
random section, and whether that comes true or not we will just have to see. If it doesn't, then   
I'll change it. no harm, no foul. If you have any comments or criticisms please post a review. 


	2. sometimes it storms, too

disclaimer: see first chapter. still don't own it.  
  
Harry was very upset with his relatives at the moment. They could keep him locked in his room, sure, and they could give him their leftovers, he didn't care, but they could not insult and hang up on his best friend, which he was quite certain they had done. He walked down the stairs, Dumbledore appeared to have left. He didn't care. The old man had been the very person who got him stuck here with these freaks, he could repair the damage himself when he got back from whatever hole he had gone to hide in. He found his aunt in the kitchen, washing dishes from breakfast. He cleared his throat to get her attention. She turned around.  
  
"What is it? If you're going to come out of your room, you might as well be of some use, you know. Why don't you finish washing these dishes for me."  
  
Harry just gaped at her. How could she still ask him to do things for her, after all she had done to him, and probably his mother too.  
  
"Err..no thanks. I just came to ask why you haven't been telling me that I've been getting calls from a friend of mine. I imagine you just hung up on anyone who was asking for Harry? Really nice of you." He knew his eyes had started to change. Petunia got very white faced, and started to back away. "Or maybe you called them names and then hung up? Really, you shouldn't have," he said, and then his voice turned dangerous, "You really shouldn't ha-"  
  
"Boy!" Shouted his uncle, "Don't you take that tone with my wife! You can't threaten us! You'll be expelled from that freak school you go to! Now go to your room, and while you're at it you can write to that freakish bitch and tell her not to call my house anymore! She can't fool me! I know what she is!"  
  
Vernon continued to insult Hermione and all his kind, but Harry had stopped listening. He knew exactly what he wanted to do. he stepped back a few spaces into the living room. Vernon looked triumphant at this, apparantly thinking he had scared some sense into the boy, but Harry, realizing his uncle's assumption, smirked, and then transformed.  
  
=============  
  
"...and what is she, uncle?" came out as a deep rumble which shook the house that Harry almost didn't recognize as his own voice, "a 'freakish bitch', is that it?". He lifted up an enormous clawed foot and made to grab Vernon.  
  
"Never insult her again, or any of my friends!" the last bit came out as a roar wich made several things fall of their shelves and break. He was about to close his clawed hand around Vernon's overweight, quivering form when he heard..  
  
"No, Harry!" said a shrill voice he instantly recognized. Only it sounded...afraid? Was she...afraid of him?  
  
"Harry calm down," she said in almost a whimper, "they aren't worth this, Harry!...I'm not worth this!"  
  
Harry suddenly felt very ashamed and upset with himself. He realized finally, that his eyes...had turned red when he wasn't paying attention. An image flashed before him from his memory, and lifeless red eyes stared into his, eyes filled with rage. Just like...him.  
  
Harry reverted to his normal shape and eye color, and began to cry. He didn't even realize he was naked there on the floor, curled up into a ball, and wouldn't have cared anyway. Dudley's old stretched clothes were ripped to shreds by his transformation. He could only think one thing.  
  
He was becoming just like Voldemort.  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------  
  
The Dursleys had left the room, silently, in fear of him.  
  
He sensed Hermione moving closer to him.  
  
"I...I'm sorry, Hermione." he said with tears still burning his eyes. "You must hate me now. I've become...like him."  
  
He turned to see Hermione looking shocked. Then angry.  
  
"No you're not, Harry. You're nothing like him, and I don't want to hear you saying that again! It's not true!"  
  
She stopped, and Harry realized she was crying herself now.  
  
He had made her cry. He didn't want her to cry. He suddenly felt much worse.  
  
"Hermione, please don't cry. But..but I just-"  
  
"No, Harry!" she said, eyes reddened now. "You aren't! You have so many things that he doesn't have!"  
  
Harry began to laugh bitterly. "Really?" he said "Like what?"  
  
The angry look came over her face again. "'Like what?'! Would Voldemort have stopped or felt any guilt in killing his uncle if he had hurt him the way they've hurt you?"  
  
Harry felt a little relief at that. She was right. As always. "...Hermione. You're right. Thank you." he smiled at her through his lingering tears. She smiled back.  
"Let's go upstairs. I'm feeling...a bit tired..." He slowly tried to get up, and succeeded, though not without considerable pain.  
  
He suppposed he didn't quite get the transformation into the Horntail to work correctly. He would have to work on it again later.  
  
Hermione, blushing a bit, took his arm when he stumbled and helped him up the stairs.  
  
It was only when he walked past his open wardrobe when he realized he was naked. But he was too tired after that to care much, or to wonder how Hermione had gotten there. He just fell onto the bed, thanked Hermione and tried to get back to sleep.  
  
He felt Hermione pulling covers over him and then hugging him and kissing him on the cheek. Not for the first time, Harry felt it was far too soon when she pulled away from the hug. It suddenly felt so cold without her there. He was tempted, in his not entirely consious state, to ask her to stay with him, just holding him, but then he thought 'No, she wouldn't be needing any sleep, it's just me that's tired...' Never realizing he had mumbled this out loud, leaving Hermione looking confused one second, and then blushing the next..  
  
Hermione had then pulled a chair up next to his bed, and had begun to read from one of the many books he had strewn about his room. Harry realized she was reading his books, probably one she had already read before; and he smiled at her before drifting off to sleep.  
  
----------------------------  
  
Harry's dreams were mostly vague shadows, and although they felt similar to the nightmares he had been having recently about the Department of Mysteries, the feeling was distant, as if a warm blanket had been placed between himself and the nightmares. He could vaguely make out frustrated screams in the distance, and a pair of red eyes glaring at him in the darkness, but he felt no pain. In fact, it almost felt as if a pair of arms was encircling him. He heard voices in the distance, though perhaps closer than the red eyes and the screams. And they were definitely softer.  
  
"Yes, Ms. Granger, I must ask you to do this. He does not trust me as much as he does you. It will not be anything the two of you together cannot handle, I assure you, and it is time Harry began awakening his full potential as a wizard and as a human being."  
  
That must be Dumbledore again....what was he talking about? Come to think of it, why hadn't he seen him when he brought Hermione? He must have been there...somewhere...  
  
then he heard Hermione's voice, obviously worried. "Are you sure it's okay for us to be doing this, with all the stress he's just been through? I'll do anything to help him, but I also don't want to see him in more pain."  
  
Harry wanted to tell her that he would be fine, but he couldn't seem to open his eyes or work his mouth just yet. He was just too tired, and it came out as more of a moan. He felt rather than saw Hermione's eyes on him, and then heard her sigh in exasperation, apparantly at him for trying to wake up so soon. He felt her hand in his hair, massaging his head, and Harry lost consiousness again, the voices becoming distant, and he faintly heard Dumbledore chuckling and saying something he couldn't quite make out.  
  
------------------------------- 


	3. the power hidden within

disclaimers:same old deal. I don't hold any ownership of HP. This isnt' meant to make any money, it's just free entertainment  
  
part 3: secrets from within  
  
The screaming from before seemed to have gone.  
  
It felt almost like he had drank a dreamless sleep potion, except that he also felt a rather pleasant tingling coursing through his body.  
  
He heard whispering in his ear. Coaxing him awake.  
  
"Harry.....Harry, I'm really sorry but you need to wake up now."  
  
He felt someone rubbing his arm, and he opened his eyes to find Hermione staring down at him. He smiled.  
  
"Welcome back, sleepyhead. I would have let you sleep since you looked so peaceful but my arm was starting to go numb in that position and you wouldn't let go. Plus, there's something we have to do..." she trailed off,  
looking at their surroundings, which Harry found was not his room anymore.  
  
He realized he had his arms wrapped around Hermione's and let go immediately. As he did so, the tingling feeling left him, and Hermione started flexing her arm, apparently to try and get the blood flow back to normal through it.  
  
"Sorry about that." said Harry, blushing, and looking away.  
  
"Oh no, I don't mind, really, it's just that it was going numb with me sitting here like that."  
  
"Oh, well you shouldn't have put up with that just because of me. If that happens again just get in a more comfortable position so that won't happen."  
  
He returned his attention to their current surroundings, which were both unfamiliar and at the same time very familiar to him. They were in what looked to be a brightly lit room, which had several doors along the walls, which had runes carved into many of them.  
  
"Hermione? Where are we?"  
  
Hermione, who's face was inches from Harry's at that moment, seemed to come back to her senses, and sat up quickly, which was a relief to Harry, who was still not comfortable being that close to a pretty girl, after the whole Cho debacle.  
  
Oh, right! We have to open some of these seals!"  
  
Harry looked puzzled. "Huh? How are we supposed to open them ourselves? and where are we Hermione?"  
  
"We're inside your head, Harry! Dumbledore sent us here so you could regain your abilities. He explained it to me before he sent us. Each door should lead to an untapped ability, but the ones with the runes are locked, probably by Dumbledore himself," she said with a scowl. "He really shouldn't have though. It's illegal!" she sighed. "Anyway, he said this would be the simplest way to attain them, and he would teach you this form of meditation but for now he would put us here using some kind of magic. Still, I'm curious about the ones that are not locked. Obviously if the door is not open then it is something you haven't learned yet. Let's check some of those doors first."  
  
She walked towards a blank door while Harry stood there trying to process everything she had said.  
  
"So we're inside my head then?"  
  
"Yes," she said, "Inside the part of it which channels your magic, apparantly. It's all very interesting. I'm going to make Dumbledore teach me how to do this for myself when he teaches you."  
  
Harry, being used to the surprises the magical world would continually throw at him, and knowing he could trust Hermione,  
just accepted this and went to open the door Hermione was standing in front of, obviously waiting for him. The door was a bright sky blue color, and it seemed to call to him.  
  
He opened the door to find what appeared to be a forest, light dancing between the leaves above. The forest seemed somehow familiar though, and Harry was transported back to a dream he once had, one where he had been chasing something through a forest. Something silvery. In the dream he had had his firebolt in his hands, though he hadn't thought to use it. As he was thinking this, though, his firebolt appeared in front of him.  
  
Somehow, Harry knew that, like in his dream, he had to catch the whatever it was. (before he had just assumed it was the patronus) He grabbed the firebolt and leapt off the ground after the shimmering creature which had suddenly appeared in the distance. It was moving very fast now, faster than any snitch he had ever seen. But then, his firebolt was also faster than any snitch. Flying low to the ground, and having to dodge trees left and right, Harry was just able to track the creature, but he had no luck with catching up to it, it seemed.  
  
'I'm going to have to outsmart it.' he thought. 'If I can cut it off, or force it to run into an enclosure I can catch it.'  
  
After narrowly missing a huge oak, which had turned out to be wider than he thought, he realized with some surprise that the creature had stopped up ahead in a clearing. He immediately put on the brakes or risked running straight into it. As soon as he had stopped however, it moved to take flight, and he got a glimpse of what the shimmering thing looked like.  
  
'Wings? I've been chasing a pair of disembodied shimmering wings? So what will happen exactly if I catch it?'  
  
In an effort to answer his own question, Harry blasted off into the air after the mysterious wings.  
  
The chase seemed to last forever as the wings, or whatever invisible being wore them darted through the trees and led Harry through a maze of obstacles, many of which could have killed him had he not been such an accomplished seeker.  
  
Finally, deep into the forest, the wings stopped atop a large pyramid-shaped structure that somehow he hadn't noticed before,  
which was unfortunate since he lost control of the broom trying to avoid hitting the large structure, and crashed into the ground.  
  
He awoke once again to Hermione's voice as she hovered over him, a voice filled with worry.  
  
"Harry, Harry! Please wake up!" she said in a slightly shaky voice.  
  
"I'm alright Hermione," said Harry, and he squeezed her hand in reassurance. "This is all just inside my head after all."  
he said with a smile as he sat up.  
  
The pyramid/temple still loomed menacingly over them. His firebolt seemed to have gone again, but the wings were still waiting patiently at the top of the pyramid.  
  
"What happened?" Hermione started. "I saw you fly off, but I didn't know why, and when you didn't come back I started to worry,  
and suddenly the trees just sort of moved and I could see you in the distance along with this temple. It's an amazing thing, but I can't imagine why or how this would be locked away inside you, or what it represents."  
  
"I was chasing that pair of disembodied wings," he said, pointing towards the top of the pyramid, "I'm sorry for making you worry, I guess I got a little caught up in the chase," he said thoughtfully. "Still, I want to know what the wings are for,  
and why they're in my head. The door seemed to be calling to me, but I have no idea why. We should climb the steps and find out." and with that he started up the steps.  
  
"Wait, Harry are you sure this isn't dangerous? It could be something left here by Voldemort!"  
  
Harry turned to answer her but didn't stop is ascent.  
  
"No, it's not from him. I'd know if it was," he said, pointing to his scar.  
  
Hermione didn't question him again, although she was still cautious.  
  
As they reached the top of the steps, the glow from the wings flared and then grew softer, so as to let them see their surroundings. Harry walked towards the wings slowly, and reached out his hand to touch one when suddenly they backed away, and the figure of a man appeared in front of them.  
  
The man was dressed in a black leather coat with fur trim around the collar and black leather slacks along with motorcycle boots, and a menacing looking weapon was sheathed on a belt around his waist. It appeared to be a cross between a sword and an enormous revolver and what little of the blade he could see seemed to glow blue, the same blue on the door. But that was not the most disturbing thing about this man. What was most unnerving, was his icy grey eyes as they bore into Harry's. The same icy gray color that had been on the door. The man seemed unnervingly calm, but in his eyes, it seemed like a storm of emotion and pain, and even perhaps a touch of madness...  
  
"You must be Harry. And I take it this is your friend Hermione I keep hering about." He said in a tone which matched the icy look in his eyes. 


End file.
